"A chicken in every pot" is only indirectly related to today's field
trip, but in a way this famous political promise touches almost all the
visits we will make. If you know a bit of history this is one of the
promises made by King Henri IV in the 1590's while he was struggling to
maintain a throne reserved for Catholics, despite his own Protestant faith.
He hoped that economic progress would overcome this major handicap, but in
the end he added a simple conversion of faith. By becoming Catholic he
legitimized his claim to the throne and by focusing on economic development
he laid the way for his grandson, Louis XIV -- the Sun King... In 1598
he signed the Edict of Nantes, the world's first effective declaration of
religious freedom. In France, for the first time, those of different
faiths had the chance to work and to make their fortune without a religious
test. This may have been the real secret to France's incredible force
in the world of the 18th century. For the moment, though, we're mainly
focused on getting aboard the Vendée-mobile for a trip inland to the Bocage
of Vendée.
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